


Wake Me Up When November Ends

by monochromekiss



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 08:32:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16740601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monochromekiss/pseuds/monochromekiss
Summary: Levi hates the month of November for many reasons. Everything seems to feel more stressful around this time. But if there's one thing that manages to keep him calm during this month, it's the comforting presence of his friend Hange.





	Wake Me Up When November Ends

 

It was a cold bleak day in November. The days seemed to be incredibly short as it got dark almost as soon as the afternoon started, and the weather was damp, cold and miserable. Halloween had only recently passed, but the young teens in Levi’s classroom were already getting excited and impatient for Christmas. 

Levi found his job as a teacher stressful at the best of times, but there was something about the month of November that seemed to make things even worse. The kids seemed more rowdy, the work he needed to mark seemed to pile up, and the cold weather he had to endure on the way home was harsh and unforgiving. 

Today had been particularly terrible, and after trying to look after unruly teens for several hours Levi wanted nothing more than to relax at home with a good book and a warm cup of tea. But unfortunately he still had essays to mark, and he knew if he put it off he would regret it later. One glance at some of the awfully rushed essays told him this was a lesson his students clearly hadn’t learned yet. 

“Levi!” Hange called out loudly as she entered the house, bursting through the door with a string of red tinsel around her neck and carrying several bags of festive items they probably didn’t need. He was really starting to regret giving her a spare key. “Have you been shopping in town yet?! It’s all so Christmassy!” 

“Yes...It’s also November.” Levi huffed, rolling his eyes at her. Getting ready for Christmas a whole month early had always seemed pointless and stupid to him. It sucked any real meaning out of the actual holiday. 

Hange dropped the shopping bags she had been carrying on the floor in a messy pile before flopping down in the armchair with a wide grin. Her brown eyes scanned over the stack of essays in front of Levi which he was gradually working through. Judging by the amount of notes scrawled in red ink over them, she guessed his students had handed in some rather disappointing work. “You know you could do all of that on your laptop, right?” 

“I prefer doing things this way.” Levi mumbled in response, not even bothering to look up from his work. He let out a long frustrated sigh, his pen angrily working its way across the page. “We covered this in class. The little brats aren’t even trying.” He huffed quietly, more to himself than anything. 

“What’s this assignment on again?” Hange asked curiously.    
  
“Othello.” Levi answered simply.

“Oh, so Shakespeare huh?” 

Levi let out a tired sigh, rolling his eyes at her question. He expected she already knew that but was just trying to make conversation. “Yes. Shakespeare.” 

“Levi…” Hange whined in a rather childish tone of voice, picking up one of the bags from before and shaking it in his direction. “Aren’t you gonna ask what I’ve been buying?” 

“No!” Levi remarked harshly as he looked over at her with a harsh glare. 

Hange let out a disappointed sigh, leaning back against the back of the chair and staring up at the ceiling. A few minutes passed by in awkward silence before she gave up on waiting for Levi to talk to her. The man was stubborn and could ignore her for hours on end if he wanted to. 

“Guess I’ll check on the heart and eyeballs then.” Hange mumbled quietly to herself as she got up, leaving the brightly coloured bags still scattered on the floor.    
  
Levi immediately perked up at that, his eyes wide. Had he heard her right? He assumed she was making some sort of strange joke though he didn’t understand the humour behind it. “Check on the what?” 

“On the heart and the eyeballs I stuck in your freezer. I told you my class are doing dissections next week.” Hange explained matter-of-factly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. 

“You put WHAT IN MY FREEZER?!” Levi snapped furiously, his fist slamming down on the coffee table in front of him. 

“Well, I had to keep them somewhere.” Hange shrugged, seemingly unfazed by her friend’s angry outburst. 

Levi stood up abruptly, throwing his pen down in a fit of anger. For a moment he simply gaped at her, mouth opening and closing as he struggled to articulate anything. “I...You...I keep food in there!” 

“It’s okay.” Hange said as she took a step towards him in an attempt to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but he quickly swatted it away. 

“No! It’s not okay!” He shouted, his fists clenched together at his sides. After years of being friends with Hange, he was used to her crazy antics and odd quirks by now, but that didn’t mean he always had the patience to deal with them. Especially not when his day had already been far too stressful. 

Levi paced up and down for a few minutes, fists clenching and unclenching. All the while Hange simply stood quietly waiting for him to calm down. “Do you think I don’t have enough to deal with right now?” He huffed, lifting a hand up to run his fingers through his own hair. 

“I have all these stupid essays to mark written by a load of bratty teens who don’t seem to give two shits about their own future! And the spelling and grammar in some of these...How did they get this far in life?! Why did they choose to study Literature if they can’t even string one sentence together?!” He took a shaky breath before continuing on. “Not to mention I’m freezing my ass off because no one can be bothered to fix the damn heating in that place! It’s already getting dark by the time I get to leave, and when I try to drive home some asshole cuts me off!” 

“Sounds rough.” Hange offered in response. 

“No shit, Four Eyes! And you….Putting that crap in my freezer without asking. I don’t know how you became a biology teacher, because you’re just as immature and infuriating as those kids!” 

They both stayed silent for a few minutes after that, Levi holding his head in his hands and collapsing back down in his seat with a soft thud. He glanced over at Hange with a grimace, suddenly regretting his outburst. 

“...Do you want a hot chocolate?” Hange asked after she was sure the ranting was over. Her eyes didn’t hold any anger or bitterness, just concern for him. 

“Tch...Go on then.” Levi mumbled, and Hange instantly smiled at that. She turned on her heel and practically skipped into the kitchen. It was a tradition the two of them had developed over the years. Levi was never keen on the Winter months of the year, so whenever things got too much they would take time out from whatever life was throwing at them, and sit together with a hot chocolate. 

When Hange returned she placed two mugs of hot chocolate down on the table with a small amount of marshmallows floating on top, and sat down beside the shorter male with a triumphant grin.

Levi raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar red and green pattern decorated across the mugs but didn’t comment on it. He guessed it must have been one of the festive items Hange had bought while out shopping. 

“This is nice.” Hange commented, lightly nudging his arm. 

“Yeah…” Levi mumbled, picking up the closest mug to him and cupping his hands around it. He took a small sip and smiled. In contrast to the cold and bleak weather outside, the drink was sweet, warm and comforting. It reminded him of Hange’s friendship. 

Just like the dreary month of November, their arguments didn’t last long. Hange’s presence was a constant comfort to Levi. As he sat there sipping his hot chocolate, he allowed himself the luxury of momentarily forgetting all the other problems in his life. He would have to deal with those things eventually...But for the briefest of moments it felt like they were the only two people in the world that mattered. 

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this oneshot for a prompt in a fanfiction group. There was a choice of a November aesthetic, or the line "You put WHAT IN MY FREEZER?!" and being as indecisive as I am, I ended up combining the two. Let's be honest...Hange would. 
> 
> I see these two more as close friends but you can read it as a ship if you like. And I personally don't care for the month of November either. Anyways, hope this is enjoyable to read. As always, comments and kudos are appreciated.


End file.
